EXCLUSIVE: Pro-police event flyers removed at Duke

Flyers promoting a conservative speaker were recently torn down at Duke University. 

Rafael A. Mangual, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, was due to speak to the university’s Ciceronian Society on Oct. 27 on “The Limits of Police Reform.” 

Mangual has appeared on a variety of outlets including the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Fox News.

The society, which describes itself as “the only space at Duke to express and discuss views pertaining to classical liberalism, centrism, libertarianism, objectivism, and conservatism,” posted flyers Oct. 20 on campus promoting the event. 

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However, several flyers were soon removed and one poster within the Crowell Residence Quad was destroyed. 

An anonymous member of the Ciceronian Society posted a statement to a Duke-based Facebook confessions page. 

“To whoever is repeatedly tearing down our event posters, please stop. A paper taped on 6 sides doesn’t fall down on its own,” the post stated. 

Ciceronian Society Vice President of Finance Maya Suzuki told Campus Reform, “it was a little devastating and frustrating to have the flyers torn down, especially since I invested my own money into printing the flyers.”

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Suzuki does not believe it is in character for Duke Students to tear down flyers, but she can see “certain members of the Duke student population being the ones to tear down our posters.” 

Suzuki also wondered if housing and residential life staffers are the ones removing the posters. 

Duke Housing and Residential Life did not respond to Campus Reform’s request for comment.

The Ciceronian Society event went on without incident, though multiple group officers noted the presence of a single heckler.

Campus Reform also reached out to Duke University’s communications office; this article will be updated accordingly.